Hello again to all of you eagerly awaiting FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn. Yoshi-P here, ringing in the new year with the forty-first Letter from the Producer.

We've been back in the office for almost three weeks now, and our calendars are already marked full of meetings and deadlines. It won't be long before beta testing begins, and soon after that, the release of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn! Looking at the beta test road map we released last month, the road from beta to release would appear to be a long one, but the testing will be over before you know it. There's not a moment to spare in preparation for release, and the development team will stay at full throttle to make sure we get there.

First things first, let's talk a bit about the beta test. Phase one will begin in February, and we were thrilled to see so many players from around the world signing up to participate. I know the beta test is just around the corner, but I'd like to show you guys a few screen shots to tide you over until then.

Here's the title screen, new and improved with a "beta version" tag. The BGM has been changed as well...another little tidbit to look forward to.

Starting from phase 1, all races will be available for testing, so it's time for roll call! First up is the Hyur Midlander female.

The Hyur Highlander female is also front and center, looking strong and ****.

Next up is the Elezen male smartly sporting race-specific gear.

The Lalafell looking adorable as always, but don't count them out in PvP.

The Miqo'te male makes his long-awaited debut, fueling fan desires for a new project: Miqo'te Online.

Last but certainly not least is the Roegadyn female, with strength matched only by her beauty.

With all these screen shots, it'd be a shame not to include one of the benchmark. We're still putting the finishing touches on it, so pay no mind to the score.

Although all races will be available from phase one of the beta test, not all customization options will be available. We're putting a lot of work into various options such as hair styles and colors (a whopping 192 shades are being planned!) based on feedback from the alpha test, and everything should be ready by phase three.

We wasted no time getting back to work after the New Year's holiday, but you know how we like to start off the New Year...with good old hatsumōde! We broke away from the development floor just long enough to round up the team for our annual trip to Sensōji in Asakusa. With the launch of A Realm Reborn to take place this year, the trip was all the more meaningful.

Here's to a game that fans around the world can enjoy! (Yes, I really did drop that big bill in there. )

This next part is a little tricky, so a bit of explanation is in order for those who've never visited one of these temples. When drawing an omikuji (strips of paper with fortunes written on them) at Asakusa's Sensōji, there are seven possible fortunes: great blessing, blessing, half-blessing, small blessing, future small blessing, future blessing, and curse. To the dismay of visitors to Sensōji, the chance of drawing "curse" is a whopping 30%—three out of every ten people! Those unfortunate enough to draw "curse" better bear down hard all year long, or suffer the consequences.

Now then, which fortune do you think I drew?

Great blessing, of course. Would you expect anything less from–

What? It looks like I'm holding up more than one, you say? Okay, you got me, I didn't draw the great blessing. It belongs to project manager "M," who's in charge of the Developers' Blog. But no need to worry—I still managed to draw a small blessing.

The fortune itself was very encouraging. So much so, that I'd like to share it with you guys.

Much like treasure seen across the vale, the things you desire, no matter how close they seem, are not easily obtained. Do not let your heart falter. Patience is the key to reaching your goals. Stay focused and consistent in your work. When the time is right, the things you desire will be at hand. Remember that you are not alone in your endeavors. Like the phoenix taking flight, you will rise up and find success.

In short, if we keep working tirelessly as we have done so far, without getting hung up on profits or discouraged by the workload, A Realm Reborn is bound to succeed. With the ongoing support of our fans, FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn will rise up from the ashes like a phoenix and soar towards success! At least, that's my take on it. You guys know me—I'll continue working like a man possessed. (lol)

Poor Komoto drew another "curse" this year. I know the chance of drawing it is three out of every ten people, but one can only be so unlucky. I'm sure next year will be better... maybe.

As we returned to working around the clock preparing for beta, two very special guests paid us a visit: Jeff Skalski from EA Mythic, who's been a great friend since I joined the FFXIV team, and Mesanna, the current producer of Ultima Online, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year.

Jeff got into the gaming industry as a level designer for Dark Age of Camelot, which I am a huge fan of and played to bits and pieces. He then moved on to Warhammer Online, and is now executive producer for the Ultima Online franchise. He's a big fan of the FF series, and during our visit to Germany, he wasn't ashamed to tell me how FFVI made him cry (lol). He played quite a bit of FFXI as well, and naturally he's attained legacy status for FFXIV. (Jeff was selected for phase three of alpha testing, and was so excited he filled my inbox with screenshots.)

Since they were kind enough as to drop by on their trip to Japan, I showed them around the office and gave them a peek behind the scenes, from the development process to the managerial side of things. There was also time to talk shop and compare notes, and over dinner we discussed the future of the MMO market.

FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn is taking on an unprecedented challenge in the MMO market, and we have not only the support of fans, but also that of our peers in the industry. Taking heart from all this positive energy, we will see the game through to a successful launch and beyond!

I will admit I am a little slow but I really never thought about the fact that other MMOs might be watching to see if SE could pull off a come back. Even with all the discussion on the forums I guess it didn't sync in or I didn't understand the implications to the broader industry.

I wonder who will be next to try. If games like SWTOR who have some interesting concepts were allowed to go back and try again would they do better the second time? In my mind it poses some interesting questions.

Ultima Online: The Oldest Realm Reborn? Darker Age of Camelot? Everquest and then quest some more?

I will admit I am a little slow but I really never thought about the fact that other MMOs might be watching to see if SE could pull off a come back. Even with all the discussion on the forums I guess it didn't sync in or I didn't understand the implications to the broader industry.

I wonder who will be next to try. If games like SWTOR who have some interesting concepts were allowed to go back and try again would they do better the second time? In my mind it poses some interesting questions.

Ultima Online: The Oldest Realm Reborn? Darker Age of Camelot? Everquest and then quest some more?

It's an interesting thought, few games have managed to rebuild into a new engine, let alone rebuild into an entirely new 'game'. This is truly a first in the world of "gaming giants", and I'm betting everyone, even Blizzard, is watching with some degree of bated breath.

He played quite a bit of FFXI as well, and naturally he's attained legacy status for FFXIV. (Jeff was selected for phase three of alpha testing, and was so excited he filled my inbox with screenshots.)

The male gaze is terribly strong in this industry; just once I'd like a female to be mentioned not alongside the word "attractive," "beauty," "****," or the like. I get it, MMO designs are trying to instill themselves as some sort of fetishistic object for people, but do we really have to mention it every time?

Oh, well; sorry for being mildly off-topic.

____________________________

"... he called to himself a wizard, named Gallery, hoping by this means to escape the paying of the fifteen hundred crowns..." (Machen 15)

"Thus opium is pleasing... on account of the agreeable delirium it produces." (Burke para.6)

"I could only read so much for this paper and the syphilis poem had to go."

The male gaze is terribly strong in this industry; just once I'd like a female to be mentioned not alongside the word "attractive," "beauty," "****," or the like. I get it, MMO designs are trying to instill themselves as some sort of fetishistic object for people, but do we really have to mention it every time?

The male gaze is terribly strong in this industry; just once I'd like a female to be mentioned not alongside the word "attractive," "beauty," "****," or the like. I get it, MMO designs are trying to instill themselves as some sort of fetishistic object for people, but do we really have to mention it every time?

Oh, well; sorry for being mildly off-topic.

What if, instead, we start objectifying men as well? Every time a man is brought up, we attach "Macho," "Handsome," or "Burly" to them?

I keed, I keed

I get where you're coming from. I guess I'm desensitized to it and rarely notice anymore.

____________________________

Our team is like a flock of woodpeckers in a petrified forest. We just need to keep working and keep an eye open for opportunity.

The male gaze is terribly strong in this industry; just once I'd like a female to be mentioned not alongside the word "attractive," "beauty," "****," or the like. I get it, MMO designs are trying to instill themselves as some sort of fetishistic object for people, but do we really have to mention it every time?

Oh, well; sorry for being mildly off-topic.

What if, instead, we start objectifying men as well? Every time a man is brought up, we attach "Macho," "Handsome," or "Burly" to them?

I keed, I keed

I get where you're coming from. I guess I'm desensitized to it and rarely notice anymore.

I'm still waiting for the balls size scroller in FFXIV. Only other game I've seen it implemented in is Saints Row 3. :D

The male gaze is terribly strong in this industry; just once I'd like a female to be mentioned not alongside the word "attractive," "beauty," "****," or the like. I get it, MMO designs are trying to instill themselves as some sort of fetishistic object for people, but do we really have to mention it every time?

Oh, well; sorry for being mildly off-topic.

What if, instead, we start objectifying men as well? Every time a man is brought up, we attach "Macho," "Handsome," or "Burly" to them?

I keed, I keed

I get where you're coming from. I guess I'm desensitized to it and rarely notice anymore.

I'm still waiting for the balls size scroller in FFXIV. Only other game I've seen it implemented in is Saints Row 3. :D

Hmm. Subligar scroller?

____________________________

Our team is like a flock of woodpeckers in a petrified forest. We just need to keep working and keep an eye open for opportunity.

I have to admit that seeing the character creator makes me nostalgic and excited about playing. Why, I've no idea, especially considering what lackluster character creator's SE has doled out in the past. I guess it's because I usually only see the character creator when I'm about to start playing for the first time, which tends to be at least a little exciting.

Never confuse your inference as the listener for an implication of the speaker.

Good games are subjective like good food is subjective. You're not going to seriously tell me that there's not a psychological basis for why pizza is great and lutefisk is revolting. The thing about subjectivity is that, as subjects go, humans actually have a great deal in common.

Pfft, if you're doing it for the gals to have eye candy, we could care less about the package size. Make it an *** size slider and then we'll be on to something.

Girls like gigantic asses? Why was I not told this?

Guys have smaller butts than women because you don't have wide hips. Plus they're more muscular. That's the attractive part.

But if we're adding **** sliders, we'll need to talk about ab sliders as well.

I think that's why I weep for my male friends when they get dumped after they lost just a bit of tone in their *** and abs..poor guys, straight women attracted to their muscles that does nothing for them.

Pfft, if you're doing it for the gals to have eye candy, we could care less about the package size. Make it an *** size slider and then we'll be on to something.

FWIW my mother and sister both bested me in fantasy football this year by picking teams based solely on how their *** looked in tight pants.

On topic: There are scores of other more important things that SE could be devoting time to rather than character creation; a feature that will get a miniscule fraction of a percent of the playing time people put into this game, should they decide to stick around.

Girlkas.. ewww

Edited, Jan 23rd 2013 8:44pm by FilthMcNasty

____________________________

Rinsui wrote:

Only hips + boobs all day and hips + boobs all over my icecream

HaibaneRenmei wrote:

30 bucks is almost free

cocodojo wrote:

Its personal preference and all, but yes we need to educate WoW players that this is OUR game, these are Characters and not Toons. Time to beat that into them one at a time.

Pfft, if you're doing it for the gals to have eye candy, we could care less about the package size. Make it an *** size slider and then we'll be on to something.

Girls like gigantic asses? Why was I not told this?

Girls like personality, confidence, and erotic fantasy- verbal/mental. That's why romance novels sell more than other books. Sure a nice *** is a bonus. But if you think they are as turned on by looks as we are, that's nonsense.

Whoever makes an mmo in the erotic/romance/fantasy genre will have the top female populated mmo of all time.

Not being sexist, just my opinion. Watch Magic Mike with a female friend and watch her skin flush and eyes dilate during the **** scenes. Only a very small percentage of women care about the ***** size. It's the emotions they care about, if it was size, the toys put the average man to shame.

Idc about *** organ characters modifiers. I care about the character lore development and looking different enough.

Not being sexist, just my opinion. Watch Magic Mike with a female friend and watch her skin flush and eyes dilate during the **** scenes.

You just used the words 'dialate' and '****' in the same sentence. Just throwing that out there.

sandpark wrote:

Only a very small percentage of women care about the ***** size.

You don't talk to many girls, do you?

Not anymore sexually. I am engaged now and value commitment. Any that care do so because they can't have authentic consistent orgasms through penetration. They think going bigger solves it, but sadly it usually doesn't. I'm going to refrain from the *** debate after this because it's innappropriate. But I'll just end on this. If you can't engage her mind and emotions, chances are she will sometimes fake orgasms and lie to you to take it easy on the huge male ego. Plus she wants to maintain her perception of being your princess in your eyes.

Not being sexist, just my opinion. Watch Magic Mike with a female friend and watch her skin flush and eyes dilate during the **** scenes.

You just used the words 'dilate' and '****' in the same sentence. Just throwing that out there.

sandpark wrote:

Only a very small percentage of women care about the ***** size.

You don't talk to many girls, do you?

*EDIT*

I'd just like to point out that despite being called out for it on previous occasions, there are three separate threads going about T&A that I did not initiate

Edited, Jan 23rd 2013 8:59pm by FilthMcNasty

T&A? Time and Acknowledgement?

I think women want that more than most things. You give them time; and acknowledge the things they do or say for you and you stay out of trouble. Unless you want to occasionally make em mad just for fun :D (I've gotten in trouble for that a few times >.>)

Like Final Fantasy XI, the game specs will be extremely high for the time, but in about 5 years, an average machine can run it on max settings with little to no issues. Tanaka also expressed interest in making a benchmark program available.

I was more turned on by my husband being in a PhD program when we first met than anything else.

As for why romance novels sell better than any other book, it's because it's girl ****. Some of them have really great stories, too, especially the fantasy, sci-fi, and historical ones. Love love love me some Teresa Medeiros books. A Puritan witch and a Bill Gates clone? Sure, why not!

Edited, Jan 24th 2013 11:16am by catwho

____________________________

FFXI: Catwho on Bismarck: Retired December 2014

Thayos wrote:

I can't understand anyone who skips the cutscenes of a Final Fantasy game. That's like going to Texas and not getting barbecue.

Great romance story: Ding-dong, hugely successful, smart and handsome, but unexplicably lonely young tarzan-aristocrat in a business suit, who likes to go kite-surfing to raise funds for the orphanage of his parents who gave their lives by cushioning the fall of a poor colored baby during a tragic plane crash. Lonely housewife acts clumsy, but wins his heart by pretending to be the princess of Scotland. Insert wedding ceremony. Finish.

Great romance story: Ding-dong, hugely successful, smart and handsome, but unexplicably lonely young tarzan-aristocrat in a business suit, who likes to go kite-surfing to raise funds for the orphanage of his parents who gave their lives by cushioning the fall of a poor colored baby during a tragic plane crash. Lonely housewife acts clumsy, but wins his heart by pretending to be the princess of Scotland. Insert wedding ceremony. Finish.

Hey, I think I read that one!

When I say "great" I mean that if you took out all the smut, you'd still have a solid story. There's one called Maiden of Inverness that is begging to be made into an RPG game, honestly. A peasant boy was married off to the princess of the Scottish Highlands (the titular maiden) by the English and found himself forced to become a soldier, eventually leading a rebellion against them. (And having to convince his wife, who'd lived out her teenage years in an English convent, that it was a war worth fighting.)

____________________________

FFXI: Catwho on Bismarck: Retired December 2014

Thayos wrote:

I can't understand anyone who skips the cutscenes of a Final Fantasy game. That's like going to Texas and not getting barbecue.

I thought they would be more amazonian She Hulks. but they juts look... IDK. Not how I pictured.

they look just like elvaan females, but a bit bulkier. Kinda lame.

The commander of the Maelstrom grand company Merlwyb is a female roegadyn, My char is the tallest highland hyur (which is quite tall) and she is still taller than me, and she's badass on top of it so yeah... they are amazonian she hulks.

____________________________

Every man is responsible for his own destiny..... I shall forge mine by the blood of beastmen, known to slay 100 demons in one stroke,I live by the sword, I am the Mighty Tetsaiga!